Method and system for enabling training of field service personnel and field service of machines

ABSTRACT

A method and system are disclosed for enabling training of field service personnel such as field engineers and field service of machines such as medical diagnostic machines, e.g., CT, MRI, and x-ray machines. The system is desirably implemented over the Internet in which field service personnel using handheld computers are able to selectively search cataloged items relating to reference materials such as portions of product installation manuals, service manuals, field modification information or updates, training manuals, safety information, design diagrams, parts lists, etc., and retrieve copies of the relevant portions of the reference materials. The reference materials are cataloged and searchable using, for example, data relating to a product type and model, a skill level, a service task, and an authorization level.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.60/157,795, filed Oct. 5, 1999, entitled “Information Integration forJust-In-Need-Training,” the contents of which is hereby incorporated inits entirety by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to database search and retrievalmethods and systems, and more specifically, to computer implementedmethods and systems for enabling training of field service personnel andfield service of machines.

Typically, training of field service personnel such as field engineersfor installation and repair of machines such as computed tomographymachines and magnetic resonance machines requires spending several weeksat a training site where trainers introduce the field service personnelto a set of written training materials.

Drawbacks with this type of training approach are that the trainingmaterials are often created by design engineers who are unfamiliar withfield service constraints, the training materials are often directed toa specific machine and structured in a serial fashion, the trainingmaterials are geared to a specific skill level of the field servicepersonnel or limited to a general overview which involves manycompromises, and the training materials are often difficult to searchfor reference to a specific problem.

Typically, field service personnel carry to a site such as a hospital,various reference materials such as product manuals and training manualsfor reference in installing and repairing such medical machines.Oftentimes, if a field engineer is not knowledgeable with repairing aparticular malfunction, a second more experienced field engineerpossessing the necessary skills is required to subsequently visit thehospital to repair the malfunctioning machine.

There is a need for a computer implemented method and system forretrieving cataloged reference materials, such as relevant portions ofproduct manuals and training manuals, for enabling training of fieldservice personnel and field service of machines.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides, in a first aspect, a computerimplemented method for at least one of enabling training of fieldservice personnel and field service of machines in which the computerimplemented method includes obtaining a reference material searchrequest, providing a list of at least one cataloged item associated withat least one reference material relating to at least one of training offield service personnel and field service of machines based on thereference material search request, and providing a copy of the at leastone reference material associated with the at least one cataloged item.

In a second aspect, a method for at least one of enabling training offield service personnel and field service of machines is implemented,for example, over the Internet. The method includes obtaining at a firstcomputing unit a reference material search request from a secondcomputing unit, for example, a handheld computer, coupled to the firstcomputing unit via a communications network, providing to the secondcomputing unit a list of at least one cataloged item associated with atleast one reference material from the first computing unit based on thesearch request, and providing to the second computing unit a copy of theat least one reference material associated with the at least onecataloged item from the first computing unit.

The methods and systems of the present invention advantageously simplifythe training process, reduce the number of trainers, and allow fortailoring of the training to a particular machine and/or to a particularskill level for each field engineer, thereby resulting in a reduction inthe time and cost associated with attending and operating a trainingfacility. In addition, the methods and systems of the present inventionalso advantageously increase the capability of a field engineer toinstall, maintain, and repair more than one type of machine and machinesmanufactured by different manufacturers, reduce the number of fieldengineers required for managing installation, maintenance, and repair ofmachines, and reduce the time in responding to malfunctioning machines,thereby reducing the amount of downtime of the machines. Furthermore,such methods and systems allow field engineers to readily respond to theincreasing frequency in the introduction of new machines or new modelshaving changes in their configuration. Overall, the methods and systemsallow for providing a high level of service to customers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating one example of a system of thepresent invention for enabling training of field service personnel andfield service of machines;

FIG. 2 is an illustration of one example of an interactive screen forprompting and obtaining data for cataloging reference materials for usein the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of one example of a method, implemented usingthe system of FIG. 1, for enabling training of field service personneland field service of machines;

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of another example of a method, implementedusing the system of FIG. 1, for enabling training of field servicepersonnel and field service of machines;

FIG. 5 is an illustration of one example of an interactive screen forprompting and obtaining a reference material search request in themethod of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is an illustration of one example of an interactive screen forpresenting a list of cataloged items in the method of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one example of a computing environment orsystem 100 incorporating and using the capabilities and techniques ofthe present invention for enabling training of field service personneland field service of machines such as computed tomography (CT) machines,magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines, mammography machines,ultrasound machines, x-ray machines. System 100 allows leveragingexisting information source materials or reference materials, such as,for example, portions of product installation manuals, service manuals,field modification information (FMI) or updates, training manuals,safety information, design diagrams, parts lists, and other referencematerials useful either in training field service personnel or in fieldservice of machines. Described in greater detail below are the creationof cataloged items corresponding to various reference materials,searching of the cataloged items, and retrieval of copies of thereference materials.

Although the present invention is described in connection with medicalequipment, the systems and methods of the present invention can be usedand applied in connection with other electronic and mechanical machines,such as, for example, automotive engines and office equipment.

System 100 is desirably maintained by or on behalf of a machinemanufacturer or service provider and usable by field service personnelat a training facility or on-site during, for example, installation,maintenance, or repair of a machine. In addition, system 100 can beincluded as part of a service contract with a customer, such as, forexample, a hospital or medical center for maintenance of medicalmachines based on a yearly or per visit fee arrangement.

Computing environment 100 includes, for instance, at least one firstcomputing unit 120 coupled to at least one second computing unit 140. Inone example, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of second computing units140, 142, and 144 are desirably handheld computers, each of which isusable by a field engineer and may be transported to a differentlocation, e.g., to different hands-on labs or workshops at a trainingfacility or to different customer sites, while computing unit 120 is acentrally located server. First computing unit 120 is coupled to secondcomputing units 140, 142, and 144 via a communications network 160.

Each computing unit typically includes, for example, one or more centralprocessing units, memory and one or more input/output devices, as iswell known in the art. First computing unit 120 is based, for instance,on a Sun workstation running a Unix operating system. First computingunit 120 desirably includes or has access to memory or data storageunits, e.g., hard drive(s), compact disk(s), tape drive(s), etc., forstoring various data, for example, in cataloged item data storage unit170, authorization data storage unit 180, and reference material datastorage unit 190, which are accessed and used in training field servicepersonnel and in field service of machines as described in greaterdetail below.

Second computing units 140, 142, and 144 are, for instance, portablecomputers, such as handheld personal computers executing MicrosoftWINDOWS CE, which runs on the Intel PC architecture.

Communications network 160 typically comprises a local area network or aglobal communications network such as the Internet which comprises avast number of computers and computer networks that are interconnectedthrough communication links. The interconnected computers exchangeinformation using various services, such as electronic mail, and theWorld Wide Web (“WWW”). The WWW service allows computing unit 120 (i.e.,Web server or Web site) to send graphical Web pages of information toremote second computing units 140, 142, and 144. The second computingunits 140, 142, and 144 can then display the Web pages. Each resource(e.g., computer or Web page) of the WWW is uniquely identifiable by aUniform Resource Locator (“URL”). To view a specific Web page, forexample, second computing unit 140 specifies the URL for that Web pagein a request (e.g., a HyperText Transfer Protocol (“HTTP”) request). Therequest is forwarded to the Web server, for example, first computingunit 120, that supports that Web page. When that Web server receives therequest, it sends that Web page to second computing unit 140. Whensecond computing unit 140 receives that Web page, it typically displaysthe Web page using a browser. A browser is a special-purpose applicationprogram that effects the requesting of Web pages and the displaying ofWeb pages. Second computing unit 140 typically uses a browser such asMicrosoft INTERNET EXPLORER or Netscape NAVIGATOR.

More particularly, web pages are typically defined using HyperTextMarkup Language (“HTML”). HTML provides a standard set of tags thatdefine how a Web page is to be displayed. When a field engineerindicates to the browser to display a Web page, the browser sends arequest to first computing unit 120 to transfer to second computing unit140 a HTML document that defines the Web page. When the requested HTMLdocument is received by second computing unit 140, the browser displaysthe Web page as defined by the HTML document. The HTML document containsvarious tags that control the displaying of text, graphics, controls,and other features. The HTML document may contain URLs of other Webpages available on first computing unit 120 or other server computersystems.

The above-described computing environment and/or computing units areonly offered as examples. The present invention can be incorporated andused with many types of computing units, computers, processors, nodes,systems, workstations and/or environments without departing from thespirit of the present invention. Additionally, in various aspects of thepresent invention, the field engineer need not be remote from firstcomputing unit 120. Various aspects of the invention are equallyapplicable to computing units running on the same physical machine,different physical machines or any combinations thereof. For example,the present invention may be implemented on a handheld computer orlaptop computer wherein the cataloged items, authorization data andreference materials are stored on a compact disk.

Cataloged items data storage unit 170 is used for cataloging thereference materials. In particular, the cataloged items are readilysearchable to identify those reference materials uniquely suited to theneeds of the field engineer in training and in field service of amachine.

The process of cataloging, e.g., extracting specific information,rating, or describing the reference material, is desirably performed byexperienced field engineers and training personnel and is based onvarious criteria. FIG. 2 illustrates an interactive screen 200,displayable using system 100 (FIG. 1), for creating, viewing, andrevising a cataloged item corresponding to a reference material.

Information screen 200 includes three main sections. Section 220 relatesto description information, section 240 relates to block or referencematerial information, and section 260 relates to the cataloged itemhistory. Section 220 includes prompts and entry fields for “Modality” orthe type of the machine, “product” such as model name and number, “Skilllevel,” “Primary Service Task,” “Secondary Service Task,” “AdditionalService Tasks,” “Keywords,” and “Authorization Level.” The entry fieldsmay contain a single entry or multiple entries, e.g., a field mayinclude two or more model names and numbers. As discussed in greaterdetail below, this “Description Information” relates and corresponds toselectable menu items in a search request.

Section 240 includes “Title,” “Document,” “Revision,” “Direction” ordocument reference number, “Section,” “Page,” “Location,” “File Size,”and “CD-ROM Revision.” For example, the title may contain general termssuch as safety, diagnostic, calibration, etc. which can be used inranking the search of the cataloged items as explained below. Desirably,the “Location” includes an accessible hyperlink (e.g., http:// location)can be inputted into the entry field to link to the reference material,as discussed above. Section 260 includes “Created By,” “Created On,”“Last Modified By,” and “Last Modified On.”

Desirably, the cataloged data storage unit is readily updated to reflectany new or additional changes to the various reference materials. Thismay further include receiving feedback from field service personnelduring training or when in the field. For example, an interactive screenmay be provided to rank the value of the reference material which wasprovided by the system to the field engineer in training or in fieldservice of a machine.

FIG. 3 illustrates a flow diagram of a general overview of one exampleof a computer implemented method 300 incorporating and using thecapabilities and techniques of the present invention for enablingtraining of field service personnel and field service of machines. Asexplained in greater detail below, method 300 is designed to producesearch results which are tailored to a training or service task.Desirably, method 300 is implemented using the Internet or a globalcomputer network, (e.g., system 100 as illustrated in FIG. 1 anddescribed above), to allow field service personnel to readily access thevarious reference materials while in the field or on-site wheninstalling, maintaining, repairing, or updating machines.

As shown in FIG. 3, initially method 300 includes obtaining dataassociated with areas of interest or a search request such as obtainingdata relating to the machine or product type and model number at 310,obtaining data relating to the skill level of the field servicepersonnel at 320, and data relating to a service task or keyword at 330.At 340, a list of cataloged items is generated (e.g., extracted fromcataloged storage unit 170, FIG. 1) associated with reference materialsrelating to training of field service personnel or field service ofmachines based on the search request, e.g., data relating to themachine, the skill level, and the service task or keyword. Thereafter, acopy of the reference material is retrieved at 350 (e.g., from referencedata storage unit 190, FIG. 1) based on a selected one of the listedcatalog items. For example, complete text or graphic image of thereference material can be stored in data storage unit 190 (FIG. 1) andretrieved and displayed, e.g., on a display of a handheld computer, tothe field engineer. The method also includes repeating steps 310, 320,330, to modify the search request and to generate a new list ofcataloged items, and returning to the generated list of cataloged itemsto retrieve copies of the reference materials for the other listedcataloged items.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow diagram of another computer implemented method400 for enabling training of field service personnel and in fieldservice of machines. In this embodiment, at 410, a field engineer at atraining facility or at a customer's site initially inputs a useridentification and password. For example, an initial interactive screenis displayed on a handheld computer. Such an interactive screendesirably includes prompts and entry fields for a user name and apassword via a keyboard or mouse.

At 420, desirably an interactive screen facilitates forming a searchrequest via a keyboard or mouse. FIG. 5 illustrates one embodiment of aninteractive screen 500, displayable using a web browser on a handheldcomputer for aiding a field engineer in readily inputting a searchrequest by choosing from a menu of choices. For example, interactivescreen 500 includes drop-down menus for selecting a “Modality” such as atype of machine, e.g., “CT,” “MRI,” “MAMMOGRAPHY,” “ULTRASOUND,”“X-RAY,” and a “Product” or model name and number, e.g., “All,” or aspecific model name. Desirably, based on the selected type of machine,different drop-down menu items corresponding to the selected type ofmachine are displayed.

Interactive screen 500 for forming a search request also provides forselecting a desired skill level by the field engineer, e.g., “All,”“Novice,” or “Expert,” and provides for selecting a “Primary ServiceTask” and a “Secondary Service Task” as well as inputting “Keywords.”Desirably, the service tasks include user selectable drop-down menuitems. For example, “Primary Service Task” include “ALL,” “PreventiveMaintenance,” “Install System,” “Maintenance/SC,” “FMI” (fieldmodification information), and “Learning/Help.” Secondary service taskitems for “Install System” includes, for example, “All,” “Pre-Install,”“Receive and Inventory,” “Mechanical Install,” “Route and ConnectCables,” “Power Up,” “Software Install,” “Configuration,” “Calibration,”“HHS Tests,” “Database Backups,” “Functional Checks,” and “Turnover.”

Additional service tasks which are more particularly directed totraining may include “Theory of Machine Operation,” “Typical MachineDesign,” “Trouble Shooting,” etc. From the present description, it willbe appreciated by those skilled in the art that a field engineer can usethe system to train for repairing a particular machine malfunction atthe site, e.g., hospital, and then perform the necessary repair to amachine.

Once the search request is inputted into and/or selected on theinteractive information screen, the filed engineer continues by clickingon a “Search” button 502, to transmit the search request from computingunit 140 (FIG. 1) to computing unit 120 (FIG. 1).

With reference again to FIG. 4, at 430, the user identification is usedin retrieving a classification or authorization level associated withthe field engineer from an authorization data storage unit 440. Thisallows limiting retrieval to select cataloged items, and thus, limitingretrieval of the reference materials. Authorization levels include, forexample, general access, access with permission, (e.g., per fee), accessby the machine manufacturer's employees, access by manufacturer'sauthorized field service personnel, etc. Desirably, the authorizationlevels are hierarchical, e.g., a machine manufacturer's field engineersalso have general access.

In addition, at 430, a cataloged item data storage unit 450 (containingcataloged items created as discussed above with reference to FIG. 2) issearched and those cataloged items corresponding to the search requestand the authorization level of the field engineer are selected to form alist of cataloged items which are then transferred from computing unit120 (FIG. 1) to computing unit 140 (FIG. 1), and displayed on thehandheld computer of the field engineer. FIG. 6 illustrates an exampleof a display of an interactive search result screen 600 or list ofcataloged items which includes the title of the reference material.Desirably, the cataloged items can be listed by relevance, e.g., firstby safety, then diagnostic, then calibration, etc. In addition,desirably, when “Expert” is selected, those cataloged items relevant to“Notice” are not listed or shown.

With reference again to FIG. 4, at 460, the field engineer can modifythe search by returning to the search request (FIG. 5), save the search,or review the list of catalog items to quickly determine whether theresults are responsive to the field engineer needs and select one ormore of the corresponding reference materials by clicking on a listedcatalog item to view the corresponding reference material. As discussedabove, the listed cataloged items are desirably hyperlinked using theirtitles or a separate “view Item” to retrieve, at 470, the correspondingreference material from reference material data storage unit 480.

Advantageously the method and system enable a field engineer to readilyretrieve relevant reference material in a specific area of interest andwith a very low error rate, i.e., avoiding retrieval of non-relevantreference material. In addition, such a method and system direct theengineer to the specifically needed information, e.g., to the necessarychapter, paragraph, diagram, part list, etc.

From the present description, it will be appreciated by those skilled inthe art that the methods and systems are universally applicable,regardless of language of the reference materials, size of library(i.e., number of reference materials), and the type of the referencematerials. In addition, it will be appreciated that an infinite numberof categories for classification of the reference materials arepermissible. New reference materials and revisions or updates to thecataloged items can be easily incorporated.

The present invention can be included in an article of manufacture(e.g., one or more computer program products) having, for instance,computer usable media. The media has embodied therein, for instance,computer readable program code means for providing and facilitating thecapabilities of the present invention. The article of manufacture can beincluded as a part of a computer system or sold separately.

Additionally, at least one program storage device readable by a machine,tangibly embodying at least one program of instructions executable bythe machine to perform the capabilities of the present invention can beprovided.

The flow diagrams depicted herein are just examples. There may be manyvariations to these diagrams or the steps (or operations) describedtherein without departing from the spirit of the invention. Forinstance, the steps may be performed in a differing order, or steps maybe added, deleted or modified. All of these variations are considered apart of the claimed invention.

Although preferred embodiments have been depicted and described indetail herein, it will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant artthat various modifications, additions, substitutions and the like can bemade without departing from the spirit of the invention and these aretherefore considered to be within the scope of the invention as definedin the following claims.

1. A computer implemented method for at least one of enabling trainingof field service personnel and field service of machines, the computerimplemented method comprising: obtaining a reference material searchrequest; providing a list of at least one cataloged item associated withat least one reference material relating to at least one of training offield service personnel and field service of machines based on thereference material search request; and providing a copy of the at leastone reference material associated with the at least one cataloged item.2. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the referencematerial search request comprises data relating to at least one of adata relating to a machine, data relating to a skill level, datarelating to a service task, and a keyword.
 3. The computer implementedmethod of claim 1 wherein the reference material search requestcomprises data relating to a machine, data relating to a skill level,and data relating to a service task.
 4. The computer implemented methodof claim 3 wherein the data relating to the machine comprises datarelating to product type and model, the data relating to the skill levelcomprises data relating to at least one of novice and expert, and thedata relating to the service task comprises data relating to at leastone of installation, maintenance, and modification.
 5. The computerimplemented method of claim 1 wherein the providing the list comprisesgenerating the list from a data storage unit comprising a plurality ofcataloged items regarding a plurality of different machine types.
 6. Thecomputer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the providing the listcomprises generating the list from a data storage unit comprising aplurality of cataloged items based on an authorization level.
 7. Thecomputer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the at least onecataloged item comprises at least one of data relating to a machine,data relating to a skill level, data relating to a service task, anddata relating to an authorization level.
 8. The computer implementedmethod of claim 1 wherein the at least one cataloged item comprises datarelating to a machine, data relating to a skill level, data relating toa service task, and data relating to an authorization level.
 9. Thecomputer implemented method of claim 8 wherein the data relating to themachine comprises data relating to product type and model, the datarelating to the skill level comprises data relating to at least one ofnovice and expert, and the data relating to the service task comprisesdata relating to at least one of installation, maintenance, andmodification.
 10. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein theproviding the copy comprises retrieving the copy from a data storageunit comprising data relating to at least one of training manuals andservice manuals.
 11. A method for at least one of enabling training offield service personnel and field service of machines, the methodcomprising: obtaining at a first computing unit a reference materialsearch request from a second computing unit coupled to the firstcomputing unit via a communications network; providing to the secondcomputing unit a list of at least one cataloged item associated with atleast one reference material relating to at least one of training offield service personnel and field service of machines from the firstcomputing unit based on the reference material search request; andproviding to the second computing unit a copy of the at least onereference material associated with the at least one cataloged item fromthe first computing unit.
 12. The method of claim 11 wherein thereference material search request comprises at least one of datarelating to a machine, data relating to a skill level, data relating toa service task, and a keyword.
 13. The method of claim 11 wherein thereference material search request comprises data relating to a machine,data relating to a skill level, and data relating to a service task. 14.The method of claim 13 wherein the data relating to the machinecomprises data relating to product type and model, the data relating tothe skill level comprises data relating to at least one of novice andexpert, and the data relating to a service task comprises data relatingto at least one of installation, maintenance, and modification.
 15. Themethod of claim 11 wherein the providing the list comprises generatingthe list from a data storage unit comprising a plurality of catalogeditems regarding a plurality of different machine types.
 16. The methodof claim 11 wherein the providing the list comprises generating the listfrom a data storage unit comprising a plurality of cataloged items basedon an authorization level.
 17. The method of claim 11 wherein the atleast one cataloged item comprises at least one of data relating to amachine, data relating to a skill level, data relating to a servicetask, and data relating to an authorization level.
 18. The method ofclaim 11 wherein the at least one cataloged item comprises data relatingto a machine, data relating to a skill level, data relating to a servicetask, and data relating to an authorization level.
 19. The method ofclaim 18 wherein the data relating to the machine comprises datarelating to product type and model, the data relating to the skill levelcomprises data relating to at least one of novice and expert, and thedata relating to the service task comprises data relating to at leastone of installation, maintenance, and modification.
 20. The method ofclaim 11 wherein the providing the copy comprises retrieving the copyfrom a data storage unit comprising data relating to at least one oftraining manuals and service manuals.
 21. The method of claim 11 whereinthe second computing unit is a handheld computer.
 22. The method ofclaim 11 wherein the communications network is a global computernetwork.
 23. A system for at least one of enabling training of fieldservice personnel and field service of machines, said system comprising:at least one processor adapted to obtain a reference material searchrequest; said at least one processor adapted to provide a list of atleast one cataloged item associated with at least one reference materialrelating to at least one of training of field service personnel andservice of machines based on the reference material search request; andsaid at least one processor adapted to provide a copy of the at leastone reference material associated with the at least one cataloged item.24. The system of claim 23 wherein the search request comprises datarelating to the machine, data relating to a skill level, and datarelating to a service task.
 25. The system of claim 23 wherein thesearch request comprises data relating to the machine, data relating toa skill level, and data relating to a service task.
 26. The system ofclaim 25 wherein the data relating to the machine comprises datarelating to product type and model, the data relating to a skill levelcomprises data relating to at least one of novice and expert, and thedata relating to a service task comprises data relating to at least oneof installation, maintenance, and modification.
 27. The system of claim23 wherein the at least one processor is adapted to generate the listfrom a data storage unit comprising a plurality of cataloged itemsregarding a plurality of different machine types.
 28. The system ofclaim 23 wherein the at least one processor is adapted to generate thelist from a data storage unit comprising a plurality of cataloged itemsbased on an authorization level.
 29. The system of claim 23 wherein theat least one cataloged item comprises at least one of data relating to amachine, data relating to a skill level, data relating to a servicetask, and data relating to an authorization level.
 30. The system ofclaim 23 wherein the at least one cataloged item comprises data relatingto a machine, data relating to a skill level, data relating to a servicetask, and data relating to an authorization level.
 31. The system ofclaim 30 wherein the data relating to the machine comprises datarelating to product type and model, the data relating to the skill levelcomprises data relating to at least one of novice and expert, and thedata relating to the service task comprises data relating to at leastone of installation, maintenance, and modification.
 32. The system ofclaim 23 wherein the at least one processor is adapted to retrieve thecopy from a data storage unit comprising data relating to at least oneof training manuals and service manuals.
 33. A system for at least oneof enabling training of field service personnel and field service ofmachines, said system comprising: means for obtaining at a firstcomputing unit a reference material search request from a secondcomputing unit coupled to the first computing unit via a communicationsnetwork; means for providing to the second computing unit a list of atleast one cataloged item corresponding to at least one referencematerial relating to at least one of training of field servicespersonnel and field service of machines from the first computing unitbased on the reference material search request; and means for providingto the second computing unit a copy of the at least one referencematerial associated with the at least one cataloged item from the firstcomputing unit.
 34. The system of claim 33 wherein the referencematerial search request comprises at least one of data relating to amachine, data relating to a skill level, data relating to a servicetask, and a keyword.
 35. The system of claim 33 wherein the referencematerial search request comprises data relating to a machine, datarelating to a skill level, and data relating to a service task.
 36. Thesystem of claim 35 wherein the data relating to the machine comprisesproduct data relating to type and model, the data relating to the skilllevel comprises data relating to at least one of novice and expert, andthe data relating to the service task comprises data relating to atleast one of installation, maintenance, and modification.
 37. The systemof claim 33 wherein the means for providing the list comprises means forgenerating the list from a data storage unit comprising a plurality ofcataloged items regarding a plurality of different machine types. 38.The system of claim 33 wherein the means for providing the listcomprises means for generating the list from a data storage unitcomprising a plurality of cataloged items based on an authorizationlevel.
 39. The system of claim 33 wherein the at least one catalogeditem comprises at least one of data relating to a machine, data relatingto a skill level, data relating to a service task, and data relating toan authorization level.
 40. The system of claim 33 wherein the at leastone cataloged item comprises data relating to a machine, data relatingto a skill level, data relating to a service task, and data relating toan authorization level.
 41. The system of claim 40 wherein the datarelating to the machine comprises data relating to product type andmodel, the data relating to the skill level comprises data relating toat least one of novice and expert, and the data relating to the servicetask comprises data relating to at least one of installation,maintenance, and modification.
 42. The system of claim 33 wherein themeans for providing the copy comprises retrieving the copy from a datastorage unit comprising data relating to at least one of trainingmanuals and service manuals.
 43. The system of claim 33 wherein thesecond computing unit is a handheld computer.
 44. The system of claim 33wherein the communications network is a global computer network.
 45. Atleast one program storage device readable by a machine, tangiblyembodying at least one program of instructions executable by the machineto perform a method for at least one of enabling training of fieldservice personnel and field service of machines, the method comprising:obtaining a reference material search request; providing a list of atleast one cataloged item associated with at least one reference materialrelating to at least one of training of field service personnel andfield service of machines based on the reference material searchrequest; and providing a copy of the at least one reference materialassociated with the at least one cataloged item.
 46. The at least oneprogram storage device of claim 45 wherein the reference material searchrequest comprises data relating to at least one of a data relating to amachine, data relating to a skill level, data relating to a servicetask, and a keyword.
 47. The at least one program storage device ofclaim 45 wherein the reference material search request comprises datarelating to a machine, data relating to a skill level, and data relatingto a service task.
 48. The at least one program storage device of claim47 wherein the data relating to the machine comprises data relating toproduct type and model, the data relating to the skill level comprisesdata relating to at least one of novice and expert, and the datarelating to the service task comprises data relating to at least one ofinstallation, maintenance, and modification.
 49. The at least oneprogram storage device of claim 45 wherein the providing the listcomprises generating the list from a data storage unit comprising aplurality of cataloged items regarding a plurality of different machinetypes.
 50. The at least one program storage device of claim 45 whereinthe providing the list comprises generating the list from a data storageunit comprising a plurality of cataloged items based on an authorizationlevel.
 51. The at least one program storage device of claim 45 whereinthe at least one cataloged item comprises at least one of data relatingto a machine, data relating to a skill level, data relating to a servicetask, and data relating to an authorization level.
 52. The at least oneprogram storage device of claim 45 wherein the at least one catalogeditem comprises data relating to a machine, data relating to a skilllevel, data relating to a service task, and data relating to anauthorization level.
 53. The at least one program storage device ofclaim 52 wherein the data relating to the machine comprises datarelating to product type and model, the data relating to the skill levelcomprises data relating to at least one of novice and expert, and thedata relating to the service task comprises data relating to at leastone of installation, maintenance, and modification.
 54. The at least oneprogram storage device of claim 45 wherein the providing the copycomprises retrieving the copy from a data storage unit comprising datarelating to at least one of training manuals and service manuals.
 55. Anarticle of manufacture comprising: at least one computer usable mediumhaving computer readable program code means embodied therein for causingat least one of enabling training of field service personnel and fieldservice of machines, the computer readable program code means in saidarticle of manufacture comprising; computer readable program code meansfor causing a first computing unit to obtain a reference material searchrequest from a second computing unit coupled to the first computing unitvia a communications network; computer readable program code means forcausing the first computing unit to provide based on the referencematerial search request, a list of at least one cataloged itemassociated with at least one reference material relating to at least oneof training and field service of machines to the second computing unit;and computer readable program code means for causing the first computingunit to provide a copy of the at least one reference material associatedwith the at least one cataloged item to the second computing unit. 56.The article of manufacture of claim 55 wherein the reference materialsearch request comprises at least one of data relating to a machine,data relating to a skill level, data relating to a service task, and akeyword.
 57. The article of manufacture of claim 55 wherein thereference material search request comprises data relating to a machine,data relating to a skill level, and data relating to a service task. 58.The article of manufacture of claim 57 wherein the data relating to themachine comprises data relating to product type and model, the datarelating to the skill level comprises data relating to at least one ofnovice and expert, and the data relating to a service task comprisesdata relating to at least one of installation, maintenance, andmodification.
 59. The article of manufacture of claim 55 wherein thecomputer readable program code means for causing the first computingunit to provide the list comprises computer readable program code meansfor causing the first computing unit to generate the list from a datastorage unit comprising a plurality of cataloged items regarding aplurality of different machine types.
 60. The article of manufacture ofclaim 55 wherein the computer readable program code means for causingthe first computing unit to provide the list comprises computer readableprogram code means for causing the first computing unit to generate thelist from a data storage unit comprising a plurality of cataloged itemsbased on an authorization level.
 61. The article of manufacture of claim55 wherein the at least one cataloged item comprises at least one ofdata relating to a machine, data relating to a skill level, datarelating to a service task, and data relating to an authorization level.62. The article of manufacture of claim 55 wherein the at least onecataloged item comprises data relating to a machine, data relating to askill level, data relating to a service task, and data relating to anauthorization level.
 63. The article of manufacture of claim 62 whereinthe data relating to the machine comprises data relating to product typeand model, the data relating to the skill level comprises data relatingto at least one of novice and expert, and the data relating to theservice task comprises data relating to at least one of installation,maintenance, and modification.
 64. The article of manufacture of claim55 wherein the computer readable program code means for causing thefirst computing unit to provide the copy comprises computer readableprogram code means for causing the first computing unit to retrieve thecopy from a data storage unit comprising data relating to at least oneof training manuals and service manuals.
 65. The article of manufactureof claim 55 wherein the second computing unit is a handheld computer.66. The article of manufacture of claim 55 wherein the communicationsnetwork is a global computer network.